Best is Yet to Come
by Half of Halves
Summary: Gale finally has a second chance at winning Katniss back, but first he has to learn to put her before himself. One-shot; songfic inspired by "Best is Yet to Come" by RED.


It's been ten years since the Rebellion. Katniss is happily married to Peeta and I am depressed in District 2. The only thing I can invest my time into is my work. It's the only thing that gets my mind off of her.

Afraid it won't come round again  
Afraid to move on  
Wishing I could go back when  
Everything was easier and meaningful to me  
Wanting all we left behind  
Like its the answer  
An hour glass we can't rewind  
Holding back the life that I've been at for so long

My selfishness convinces me that I still have a chance of winning her back. How true that is, I don't know. The last thing I want to do is ruin their _wonderful_ life together. I haven't visited her because I don't want to be a third wheel. If I call or write, that will probably make her uneasy. I've tried writing to her before since I couldn't muster up the strength to call. The only problem is that I can never find the right words to say. I end up staring at a blank piece of paper, envisioning the finished draft, but inwardly knowing that I can't write what I desire to tell her and if I can't speak from my heart, I shouldn't write at all. She meant a lot to me. She still does.

Can I find my way to you  
And After all that we've been through  
And after all we left in pieces  
I still believe our lives have just begun  
Cause now the past can be outrun  
And I know you are the reason  
I still believe the best is yet to come

Today, I have off so the memories of her are very prevalent in my mind. Just to preoccupy myself, I decide to go clean up the attic. I clean out the cobwebs and dust off boxes. Honestly, it really isn't a mess up here, I just needed something to do. Then, when I go to pick up one box in the far corner, the pain shoots through my veins again. After a while, you get numb to the hurt, but the contents of this box bring back tangible thoughts of her.

A Photograph's still in my hands  
Afraid to let it go  
The minutes rain like grains of sand  
And time is just a war that's stealing dreams from within  
So come and take them back again

Some days it feels like the past is so distant, but not today. Sorting through it, I find unspeakable things. I don't want to put much thought into it because I'm already about to cry, something I don't do often.

Putting everything back where I found it, the phone downstairs starts to ring. For a second, I consider ignoring it, but my body doesn't seem to agree. Before I know it, the phone is on my ear.

"Hello?" Nothing. "Hello?" I ask impatiently.

"Gale?" My jaw drops.

"Kat- Catnip?" I stutter.

"Can you come visit?" she asks as if we talk on a regular basis. I rub my cheek, wondering what is going on, but the tone of voice she has won't allow me to argue.

"Sure, when?"

"Tomorrow, if possible." Then she hangs up on me.

Still bewildered, the phone remains on my ear until it starts making those annoying noises that remind you to hang it up. Ten years of silence and she calls me out of the blue. The thing is, I can tell something is up. If anyone knows her well, it's me. Her voice was full of sadness.

And After all that we've been through  
And after all we left in pieces  
I still believe our lives have just begun  
Cause now the past can be outrun  
And I know you are the reason  
I still believe the best is yet to come

My palms are sweaty as I step off the train. My heart beats rapidly inside my chest as every emotion you can name takes its hold on me. I do my best to look emotionless, but I can tell that it's not working. I make my way to the bathroom at the station and rinse my face off with cold water. She's going to think I haven't had sleep in days, which is true. Honestly, I can't remember the last time I had a good night's slumber because my dreams are always haunted by her. When it's not of what Katniss and I could have had together, it's of her and _him._

District 12 looks a lot nicer than it used to. Most of the buildings are new and colorful. It almost radiates a cheerful atmosphere, which we didn't have growing up. Following a familiar dirt road that I haven't set foot on in years, I don't need a map to find the victor's village. Despite the changes, things oddly seem the same. I can't explain that part.

It takes twenty minutes to get to the Victor's Village. I'm not sure whether they live in Peeta or Katniss's house. I'll try Peeta's first. I pass by Katniss's first, peering through a window to see if she happened to be in there, but it doesn't seem like it. Finally, I find her at Peeta's, but something is off. The front door is wide open.

"Catnip?" I call. She doesn't respond, so I frantically search for her. At this point, I don't care if Mellark is here. I need to make sure she is okay.

I find my answer as I pick up a note, addressed to me, on the kitchen table.

_Dear Gale,_

_ He's dead..._

_-Katniss Mellark_

I cringe at her last name and squeeze my eyes shut to block out the pain. What could she possibly mean? Who is he?

"Katniss?" I call for her a second time. I walk up the stairs and down the hallway. Ever since my days of hunting in the woods, my hearing has been very sharp. I had known she was upstairs, but I was hoping she would have come down to meet me. I find her in a room, full of paintings. No doubt this was Peeta's art studio.

It's not the portraits of Katniss or the Games that frighten me. The sight of Katniss silently sobbing in the corner sends me to her side in two seconds.

"Hey, it's okay," I wrap my arm around her and she doesn't stop crying. Obviously someone died. Her raven black hair is a loose wreck. It's oily and full of knots. She looks like she hasn't changed her clothes in a while. It's a nice dress though. "Do you want me to get Peeta? Where is he?" I ask innocently, only to be met by a cold glare in her gray eyes. He entire face is wet with tears and red as an apple. Her nose is twitching from her sobbing and I feel like a complete idiot.

"It was Peeta, wasn't it?" I ask, but not willing to admit that I actually feel bad that he died. He genuinely completed Katniss. They were practically inseparable. "Why don't you go take a shower and we'll talk?"

She nods reluctantly, but stands up and walks to her room, shutting the door behind her. I press my ear against the door and hear the shower running. Patiently, I wait for her to come out. While I'm waiting, I try to come up with some sort of plan. It's hard to do with pictures of Peeta and her plastered all over the wall. Suddenly, everything feels so wrong. I shouldn't be here. The only reason I'm here is because she lost him. If he was still alive, she wouldn't have called. I can't help it now. She needs me.

I won't turn around  
Let it all slip away  
I'm never backing down  
Cause tomorrow's a new day  
And everything can change

After a half hour, I hear her footsteps coming down the stairs. Her damp hair is in her trademark braid. She has on a black shirt and matching jeans. I have to admit, I don't mind seeing her barefoot. She has cute toes.

Refocusing on the situation at hand, I pat the chair next to me, inviting her to sit down. The next few hours we spend in silence, tears, laughter, and deep conversation. Before I know it, she's yawning and I instruct her to head upstairs to bed.

"You can stay in the guest room," she tells me. "And thanks, Gale." Without another word, she's gone and I'm left standing outside her bedroom door. I wish I could do more to help her, but we're only friends. I have my boundaries. Even still, she won't be ready to think of me as more than a friend in a while. In all honesty, I won't push it because she needs me to heal.

And After all that we've been through  
And after all we left in pieces  
I still believe our lives have just begun  
Cause now the past can be outrun  
And I know you are the reason  
I still believe the best is yet to come

When I know, she's asleep I silently tiptoe over to her room. She's snoring lightly and I can't help but smile. Slowly and gently, I plant a kiss on her forehead and whisper, "The best is yet to come, Catnip."


End file.
